AT Platinum - Suggestions

[Meanfcker]

A game review/replay option to enable a great victory to be savoured with one's peers.
Civ 4 has a fine model that could be shamelessly copied.

[CSO_Talorgan]

Before moving forward with the game please consolidate what we already have by finishing the editor manual: http://www.vrdesigns.nl/atwiki/doku.php ... tor_manual

I know that there is a lot more game on my computer than I am using and I suspect that Advanced Tactics is losing people because of frustration over this issue.

[Jafele]

Advanced Tactics is a great game [:D], however it needs a strong improvement in AI. A game with a cheated AI will never become a classic [:-]. Those interested in this issues should take a look to this article about Heroes V AI: http://www.bonddisc.com/ref/h5/ai.htm

[Josh]

 Goodness that was an interesting read, but I'm afraid my brain just left the building...

[mgaffn1]

Agree with everyone's comments above about AI.

Single biggest issue for me is unit composition for AI - AI has come up with some pretty funky units: 6 trucks, 1 staff & 1 machine gun. Or a stack of 46 fighter planes (which proceed to wipe out my airforce. Not sure what the fix would be, but pre-defined units for AI might be possible.

Second biggest AI concern is tendency for AI to build too many units and then have problems supplying them later in game.

Would also like to see suggestions per Webizen's list above 8, 9, 10 and 1a & 4a.

Still, overall it's a great game with amazing mod-ability.

[Jeffrey H.]

ORIGINAL: Jafele

Advanced Tactics is a great game [:D], however it needs a strong improvement in AI. A game with a cheated AI will never become a classic [:-]. Those interested in this issues should take a look to this article about Heroes V AI: http://www.bonddisc.com/ref/h5/ai.htm

Impressive article. I guess it's a fine balance between super AI and playable good AI on and within a budget.

[Jafele]

Impressive article. I guess it's a fine balance between super AI and playable good AI on and within a budget.

Absolutely. After reading the article, I guess most of the games in market have a cheated AI. Even many of them we have played before were surely cheated. To my mind, companies find in cheated AI a good way for selling games [:@]. A lot of customers are children or teenagers who love to win always [:(]

On the other hand AT needs a more realistic supply system for single and multiplayer games. Something like the resource mod. Improving the AI and the logistics in AT are critical points to get a perfect wargame or a classic [;)].

[Josh]

Improving the AI and the logistics in AT are critical points to get a perfect wargame or a classic
 
Well exactly. Problem is Vic has been quite busy with the Decisive Campaigns series, so there surely will be a patch for ATG... but how long it will take to write AT Platinum??
 
Another question comes to my mind, will these two games AT and DC, evolve along different paths *or* will they at some time merge together?
Question too is what Vic would like to do most; DC or AT Platinum? ...  the sales of his latest DC game may influence this decision ofcourse.
 
Personally I love both, but the randomness of ATG and the "what-if" of ATG makes me like that game the most.

[Jeffrey H.]

ORIGINAL: Josh

Improving the AI and the logistics in AT are critical points to get a perfect wargame or a classic

Well exactly. Problem is Vic has been quite busy with the Decisive Campaigns series, so there surely will be a patch for ATG... but how long it will take to write AT Platinum??

Another question comes to my mind, will these two games AT and DC, evolve along different paths *or* will they at some time merge together?
Question too is what Vic would like to do most; DC or AT Platinum? ...  the sales of his latest DC game may influence this decision ofcourse.

Personally I love both, but the randomness of ATG and the "what-if" of ATG makes me like that game the most.

I suspect there will be a DC Gold Edition to come along about now. I think the two game series are forever parted.

[towerbooks3192]

Advanced Tactics and Decisive Campaign in one game? It will be good to have a detailed WW2 game plus the option of a what-if scenario and Advanced Tactics random map generator

[Josh]

ORIGINAL: towerbooks3192

Advanced Tactics and Decisive Campaign in one game? It will be good to have a detailed WW2 game plus the option of a what-if scenario and Advanced Tactics random map generator

Well yeah I agree, but it would be nice to see more of the actual equipment they used in the time instead of the generic Medium Tank III etc. Maybe not *every* piece of equipment the used at the time, only the ones that match lvl I to lvl IV. So Flak I would be something like the German 37mm gun, or the 20mm Oerlikon. Flak IV could be something like the "Flakvierling". Hmm that would be "light mobile Flak' ofcourse.

[LazyBoy]

I would like to see an option to have the combat simlator available through out the game

[danlongman]

I would love to see lots of resource management. Farming, Lumber, Mining, Fuels, Iron and Steel, etc. A solid rational economic/resource based
economy on which to build the armed forces. Some real guns/butter problems with road/rail nets having true importance. Wars could have real
economic reasons and strategy with real economic aims. The same things with human factors like education and technical expertise so we could have
rational countries that exist and act for understandable reasons like "I want your food or wood or oil" instead of "I hate French people" although
even that works, come to think of it.

[ghoward]

I think you should be able to move more stuff using strategic transfer than regular (tactical) transfer. Could we have a rulvar that sets the land/sea cap cost of a strategic transfer to some percentage of the cost for the same weight/distance transferred tactically. If, for instance, this rulvar was set to .5, a strategic transfer would cost half than the equivalent tactical transfer. This would solve the problem of not being able to move large units across continental distances without decreasing the cost of trains, or the weight of units, or the landcap of trains/trucks or something else that changes the balance of tactical (new units form the HQ to the front) transfer at the front.

[Jafele]

Trains should consume Raw when used for transfers. In this moment trucks have a clear disadvantage (consuming oil) with regard to trains. Horses should be able to transfer (of course with a limited landcap).

[Tac2i]

Hmmm, not sure I would agree with this. Perhaps some adjustments might be needed but not by causing trains to expend raw to move stuff. Trains use "coal" which is considered to be available in unlimited quantities.

ORIGINAL: Jafele

Trains should consume Raw when used for transfers. In this moment trucks have a clear disadvantage (consuming oil) with regard to trains. Horses should be able to transfer (of course with a limited landcap).

[Jafele]

Without a limit to transfers by trains a HQ is able to have loads of trains and make almost unlimited transfers/strategic transfers. It´s really tricky IMO.

[mgaffn1]

That said, building trains is expensive (costs lots of raw) compared to other SFTypes, especially early in the game when your raw materials are limited. And considering you can only move a certain weight per turn based on how many trains, it really isn't unlimited transport.

You could build thousands of trains, but you would likely be neglecting some other forces, and the AI or human opponent would take advantage of that.

[Meanfcker]

Trains should consume Raw when used for transfers. In this moment trucks have a clear disadvantage (consuming oil) with regard to trains. Horses should be able to transfer (of course with a limited landcap).

Trucks consume less raw and production. Trucks also let you distribute men directly into frontline units when the frontline units are all smashed up. Trucks and trains are fine the way they are. Horses should have more tranport capacity for supplies and men, of coarse with severe weight restricions. Horses did drag most of the German army supplies to the men, miles from railheads, in the mud and winter for much of the war.

[Josh]

I have to agree with Meanfcker here on both points, trucks and trains are fine the way they are now, and horses should indeed have some transport capacity for supplies and men, reflecting their historic role.